On Tuesday, January 26, 1999, TV viewers in Chile were astonished when a Santiago station broadcasted satellite video images of disc-shaped UFOs measuring hundreds of miles in diameter.
The video images were aired by Television de la Universidad Catolica (TV-UC) on Canal (Channel) 13. The video footage was shot by Geostationary Orbital Environmental Satellite 8 (GOES-8) on two separate occasions a few years ago.
According to Chilean ufologist Luis Sanchez Perry, the program "showed an infrared photo taken by GOES-8 on July 17, 1992, clearly showing a large disc-shaped object in outer space above the Pacific Ocean in front of (just west of) the Chilean coast."
According to Mario Vilches, the gigantic saucer measured "400 kilometers (240 miles) in diameter."
The July 1992 image was captured by Servicio Aereo Fotometrico Ltda., an airmapping business in Santiago de Chile, the national capital.
"The lines that can be seen in front of the UFO belong to electromagnetic interference that came from the UFO," Sanchez explained.
At the time the image was taken, GOES-8 was in a geostationary orbit 21,600 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth. The huge disc appears to be moving at the same orbital speed as the satellite, approximately 6,696 miles per hour (10,713 kilometers per hour).
"Three more images were taken at 10-minute intervals, and the UFO came through very clear," Sanchez added.
The second GOES-8 video was shot on April 7, 1996. Although the image disappeared very quickly from the GOES website, it was downloaded by Chile's Centro Meteorologico Regional de Antofagasta. This image "shows the UFO over the Atlantic in front of (just east of) the Brazilian coast."
The GOES-8 video images were discussed during the broadcast by two ufologists, Dr. Mario Dussuel of Comite de Estudios de Fenomenos Aereos Anomalos (CEFAA) and Rodrigo Cuadra of Equipe Superior de Investigacion Ovniologica (ESIO). CEFAA is Chile's official national study group, composed of government agencies, local ufologists and the Fuerza Aerea de Chile, FACH (the Chilean Air Force).
NOTE: The images were 'colored for analysis' according to Luis Sanchez Perry.
